Year's Best 2012 Non-Fiction or Historical Fiction Graphic Novels

3 days ago

3 days ago

In line with ABC Wednesday's "Y" week and the close of 2012, I thought I'd share my favorite non-fiction and historical fiction kids' graphic novels with you.  Each of these works would be assets to home and school libraries and lessons. For those of you interested in a wider reading list, I have also included links by other librarians and graphic novel aficionados listing their 2012 favorites as well.


I thank you all for your visits this past year, and wish for all of us that 2013 be a year of peace, prosperity, good health, happiness and success.

Silence of our Friends by Mark Long, Jim Demonakos and Nate Powell (First Second Books, Grades 6+) - a true story about a while male reporter and his family living in Texas during the Civil Rights Movement. The father must make career and life choices while trying to do the 'right thing.' The struggles of segregation and the Civil Rights movement are clearly and sensitively depicted.

Baby's In Black by Arne Bellstorf (First Second Books, Grade 6+) tells the story of the early Beatles (pre-Ringo) and their life in Germany before Ed Sullivan and their rise to fame.  It is a wonderful look at Europe in the 1960's pop culture and the significant cultural 'happenings' and salons that shaped our modern culture today.

Marathon by Boaz Yakin and Joe Infurnari (First Second Books, Grades 6+) tells the story of Eucles and The Battle of Marathon. Eucles, an Athenian messenger in the year 49 ran over 300 miles to save Ancient Greece from being subjugated into the Persian Empire. The Battle of Marathon was the turning point in ancient history, and the foundation of the modern Olympic games.

Victory - Book 3 of the Resistance Trilogy by Carla Jablonski and Leleand Purvis (First Second Books, Grade 5+) Relates how a family in France, torn apart by World War II must deal with decisions made in Books 1 and 2, and the consequences each member faces as a result as the war draws to an end. 

XOC by Matt Dembicki (ONI Press, all ages) follows the journey of a great white shark from the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco to Hawaii and back. The author uses exceptional prose, vocabulary and alliteration as he describes the life of a female shark and the perils (natural and man-made) she must face on her journey to spawn her pup.

Sumo by Thien Pahm (First Second Books, Grades 9+) is a wonderfully affirming story for teens and young adults that things will work out as told through an aspiring football player turned sumo wrestler.  Readers learn about the sumo wrestling culture and discipline while following the story of Scott's move from the US and his NFL dreams to Japan.

Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez (Graphic Universe, 2012) is a collection of eight moving stories based on the author's life of her childhood in China during the 1970' and 80's.  Here is an excerpt of a review from The New York Times ( "A Child's View of China" November 9, 2012 by Gene Luen Yang)

"“Little White Duck” isn’t Communist propaganda. It is at once more innocent and more sophisticated. What Liu and Martínez do is convey a child’s-eye view of a country in transition. Politics, culture and history play into their stories, but the reader’s awareness of them is a child’s awareness. The mural of Mao and the ancient gods and the colorful posters encouraging patriotic behavior are probably important, but fireworks, schemes to catch rats and pretty jackets with soft little white duck-shaped patches are so much more interesting."

I'm Not a Plastic Bag by Rachel Hope-Allison (Archaia, All Ages) is a wordless graphic novel that illustrates human impact on our oceans as it follows a used plastic bag that begins as refuse on the top of a leafless tree in the city and ends up as part of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  There is an extensive  appendix at the end of the book with information on The North Pacific Gyre (Great Pacific Garbage Patch),  Top Ten Items Found in Ocean Debris, Descriptions of Threatened Marine Wildlife, and How You can Help.

Continuing Non-fiction/Historical Fiction Series of value for home and school:

• Squish Series (Ages 7+)  Jennifer and Matt Holm continue to weave marvelous adventures and challenges for Squish, Peggy and Pod, our favorite single-celled 'young adult' characters.
• Hades by George O'Connor Olympians series (Ages 8+)  a collection of books each focusing on a different Greek God/myth.  These books contain detailed, accurate myths and stories, breathtaking art, suggested lesson plans, suggested supplemental reading lists, and a family tree of the Greek gods.
• Crogan's Loyalty by Chris Schweizer (ONI Press, Grades 4+) Schweizer uses the Crogan family tree to  relate famous historical events through the Crogans' perspective. This year's tale, Loyalty focuses on two brothers one who fights for the British and the other for the Coloniesin the American Revolution and must deal with their own issues of family and country loyalty.

"Best of 2012" links for further reading:

• Crave OnLine's The 21 Best Graphic Novels of 2012 
• NPR's "Graphic Novels That Flew Under the Radar in 2012
• GraphicNovelReporter: "The Best Graphic Novels of 2012"
• Bookshelf: Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2012 for Schools and Libraries
• http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-comics-of-2012-graphic-novels-art-comics,90282/ 

Thanks again for your visit.  Please leave your favorite 2012 reads in the comments.  I look forward to many fascinating visits and comments, to reading stimulating posts, and wish you all the very best in 2013!

Great Reads for Avid 4th and 5th Grade Readers

In my last blog post, I was asked to consolidate my student reading suggestions for her 4th and 5th grade boys - avid readers in search of quality material.  As my previous suggested reading lists are for all ages, I decided to make more specific recommendations for the ages she requested.  Feel free to comment, add, and state your own requests.

I have tried to suggest less well-known books as avid readers have probably read the typical selections. The books below are all classics, all favorites of mine and well worth the read (and ensuing discussions). This is only the beginning of a list, and these are the ones that stick out for me:

Poetry

• Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is as he put it, "a very tricky poem."  It is about his walking in the woods, coming to a choice of two paths, and taking (what initially appeared to be) the road less traveled.  It's a beautiful metaphor about life's choices where only later on you learn if the decisions made were the best ones.  
• Billy Collins.  Sailing Alone Around the Room.  New York.  Random House.  2001  and The Question About Angels. University of Pittsburgh Press.  1991 are two of my favorite books, but just about anything by Billy Collins is wonderfully thoughtful, provocative, and often full of energy.
• Karen Hesse. Out of the Dust.  Scholastic Press.  1997 is a brilliantly written and orchestrated "verse novel" weaving poetry and story telling about a girl growing up in the Oklahoma dust bowl in the 1930's.  Truly breath-taking!

Historical Fiction/Non Fiction

• Esther Forbes  Johnny Tremain.  Houghton Mifflin (1943) tells the story of the Boston colonists' struggle towards independence as seen through the eyes of a young silver smith apprentice, Johnny, who meets Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Doctor Joseph Warren, James Otis, Sr., Governor Thomas Hutchinson, and Thomas Gage - to name a few.  This book has also been referenced in two (at least) episodes of The Simpsons ("Whacking Day" and "Skinner's Sense of Snow") as well as in Family Guy.  
• Baroness Emmuska Orczy The Scarlet Pimpernel Hutchinson Press (1905) - (originally a play) takes place during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. There is intrigue, history and lovely twists of story and fate.  I would read this first and then introduce Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities (which is a bit denser) but obviously a classic as well.
• Yoko Kawashima Watkins  So Far From the Bamboo Grove Harper Teen (1986) is a semi-autobiographical book that takes place during the last days of World War II and Yoko and her family must flea their home in Nanam, northern Korea and end up, eventually in the United States.  It is about how she must flee with a torn family as father and brother are separated early in the story.  This book skirts some difficult (and often adult) issues, but is well worth the read and ensuing discussion.
• Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston  Farewell to Manzanar  Houghton Mifflin.  (1973) is a story of a Japanese American family sent to an internment camp near San Pedro California during World War II.  It describes the plight of loyal Japanese Americans who were confined during the war by their fellow citizens.  Riveting and quite thought provoking.
• Laurence Yep.  Dragonwings HarperCollins (1975)  is about a young immigrant Chinese boy who immigrates to San Francisco in the early 20th century (living through the Great Earthquake).  It is about he juggles the two worlds and cultures, fights discrimination, and how he and his father - inspired by the Wright brothers embark on an airplane project.
• Gene Luen Yang. American Born Chinese First Second Books (2006) is a brilliantly written and illustrated graphic novel that weaves three apparently unrelated stories together in an action-packed, humorous and poignant modern fable. The first story is about Jin Wang -a 'new kid' in school who finds he's the only Chinese-American student and desperately wants to fit in; the second is about the Monkey King an old Chinese fable; the third is about Chin-Kee, the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype who is ruining his cousin Danny's life.
• Nick Abadzis. Laika.  First Second Books (2007). is a graphic novel about Laika, an abandoned runt of a puppy who becomes the Earth's first space traveler.  The reader learns about and relates to Laika and her owners/care takers while reading about the space race from the Soviet perspective.  I highly recommend reading this and then reading Homer Hickham's October Sky (the story of the 1950's space race from an American boy's perspective).

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Fiction

• Orson Scott Card.  Ender's Game Tor Books (1975)   is a series - all worth the effort.  This is a science fiction classic with outstanding character development.
• Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy Ballantine Books (1995)  This is a three book series.  The first, The Golden Compass was made into a movie.  The book is infinitely better.  It does, however, touch on some mature topics including organized religion and the concept of the 'original sin'.  My son, in 5th grade LOVED these books so much that when he found out they were based on John Milton's Paradise Lost he actually read the seventeenth century poem!
• Neil Gaimon The Graveyard Book Harper Collins (2008)  is a lovely introduction to Gaimon for the younger reader. While it is about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard, it is warm, alive and really entertaining.
• Cornelia Funke, Inkheart.  Scholastic, (2003) is about a girl whose father can read characters in and out of books.  Despite the fact that this gets them into a lot of trouble, Meggie still wishes she had her father's talents.
  
• Joe Kelly I Kill Giants Image Comics (2008) is about a girl who plays dungeons and dragons and kills giants.  It is incredibly moving as the reader must untangle what giants Barbara is actually killing.  This is one of my favorite works - well worth the read for you and your kids.

These just touch the tip of the iceberg.  Let me know what you like and recommend!

Happy reading!